Patrick Comerford
The Greek Carnival season, Απόκριες (Apokries) runs for about three weeks in February or early March, leading up to Clean Monday, the start of Lent. It is marked with major events and parades, with costumes, feasts, parties celebrations before the fasting period of Lent begins. This year, Απόκριες runs from Sunday 1 February to Sunday 22 February.
Meanwhile, today (9 February) is International Greek Language Day. My Facebook friend the Greek writer Pantelis Goularas named me this morning among a number of writers, journalists, poets and musicians whose work make connections between Greece and Ireland. He writes:
Ειδικές αναφορές στον Patrick Comerford που συχνά πυκνά ασχολείται με την ελληνική γλώσσα και άλλα θέματα σχετικά με το παρελθόν και το παρόν της Ελλάδας, στο εξαιρετικό blog του, και τον φίλο Bruce Clark με θητεία πολλών χρόνων στην Ελλάδα και την έκδοση βιβλίων ελληνικού ενδιαφέροντος. Επίσης ο αγαπημένος φίλος Paddy Sammon, που προσάρμοσε τους στίχους του “Γελαστού παιδιού” στην Ιρλανδική γλώσσα πάνω στη μουσική του Μίκη Θεοδωράκη.
‘Special mentions to Patrick Comerford who often deals with the Greek language and other issues related to the past and present of Greece, on his excellent blog, and his friend Bruce Clark with many years of service in Greece and publishing books of Greek interest. Also dear friend Paddy Sammon, who adapted the lyrics of “Laughing Child” into Irish to the music of Mickey Theodorakis.’
Another writer and Facebook friend, the Athens-based writer Irena Karafilly, marks International Greek Language Day today telling a joke about a man who says: ‘Strangest thing – every time I’d say good morning, someone would put a plate of squid in front of me.’ In Greek, καλημέρα (κaliméra) means ‘Good Morning’, but καλαμάρι (κalamári) means ‘squid’.
Irena Karafilly was born in the Urals, educated in Canada, and now lives in Greece, where she writes about immigrants and other outsiders. She has published seven books (five English, two Greek), dozens of poems and short stories, and has won several literary prizes. In recent days, she has offered some humorous reflections on the nuances and humour found in modern Greek phrases and sayings. Some of the common expressions that make no sense, either in English or Greek, depending on which you speak, that she posted to mark International Greek Language Day:
1, a Greek doesn’t say ‘I have no idea what’s going on’ … she says ‘I’ve lost my eggs and baskets’ (ἐχω χἀσει τα αυγἀ και τα καλἀθια).
2, a Greek doesn’t just ‘make your life hell’ … he ‘makes your life a roller skate’ (σου κἀνει την ζωἠ πατἰνι).
3, in Greece, a situation doesn’t just ‘get out of hand’ … it turns into ‘a whore’s fencepost’ (της πουτἀνας το κἀγκελο).
4, a Greek isn’t just ‘doing nothing’ … he’s ‘swatting flies’ (βαρἀει μὐγες).
5, a Greek house isn’t just ‘messy’ … it’s a ‘brothel’ (μπουρδἐλο).
6, a Greek isn’t just ‘very busy’ … she’s ‘running without arriving’ (τρἐχει και δεν φτἀνει).
7, a Greek doesn’t just ‘irritate you’ … she ‘breaks your nerves’ (σου σπἀει τα νεὐρα).
8, in Greece, something isn’t ‘unbearable’ … it ‘can’t be fought’ (δεν παλεὐεται).
9, Greeks aren’t just ‘exhausted’ … they are ‘in pieces’ (κομμἀτια).
10, a Greek isn’t just ‘high and mighty’ or a ‘diva’ … she is ‘astride a reed’ (ἐχει καβαλἠσει καλἀμι).
11, in Greece, people don’t just ‘turn you down’ … they ‘throw you an X’ (σου ἐριξε Χ).
12, a Greek isn’t just ‘stupid’ … he’s a ‘brick’ (τοὐβλο).
13, a Greek person doesn’t just ‘cheat on you’ … he ‘puts horns on you’ (σε κερατὠνει).
14, A Greek is not told to ‘go jump in a lake’ … he is told to ‘go see if the boats are moving’ (πἠγαινε να δεἰς αν κουνιοὐντε οι βἀρκες).
15, Greeks don’t just ‘get into a fight’ … they ‘become yarn balls’ (γἰναμε μαλλιἀ κουβἀρια).
16, a Greek isn’t just ‘fit’ … she is ‘slices’ (φἐτες).
17, Greeks who are really drunk aren’t ‘wasted’ … they are ‘pie’ (πἰτα).
18, also, they are ‘pie’ because they ‘drank their horns’ (ἠπια τα κερατἀ μου).
19, in Greece, a place isn’t ‘really far away’ … it’s ‘by the devil’s mother’ (στου διαὀλου την μἀνα).
20, a Greek doesn’t get ‘beat up’ … he ‘eats wood’ (τρὠει ξὐλο).
21, Greeks doesn’t say something incomprehensible is ‘all Greek to me’ … instead, they say it is ‘like you are speaking Chinese’ (εἰναι σαν να μου μιλἀς Κινἐζικα).
Previous words in this series:
1, Neologism, Νεολογισμός.
2, Welcoming the stranger, Φιλοξενία.
3, Bread, Ψωμί.
4, Wine, Οίνος and Κρασί.
5, Yogurt, Γιαούρτι.
6, Orthodoxy, Ορθοδοξία.
7, Sea, Θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ.
8,Theology, Θεολογία.
9, Icon, Εἰκών.
10, Philosophy, Φιλοσοφία.
11, Chaos, Χάος.
12, Liturgy, Λειτουργία.
13, Greeks, Ἕλληνες or Ρωμαίοι.
14, Mañana, Αύριο.
15, Europe, Εὐρώπη.
16, Architecture, Αρχιτεκτονική.
17, The missing words.
18, Theatre, θέατρον, and Drama, Δρᾶμα.
19, Pharmacy, Φᾰρμᾰκείᾱ.
20, Rhapsody, Ραψῳδός.
21, Holocaust, Ολοκαύτωμα.
22, Hygiene, Υγιεινή.
23, Laconic, Λακωνικός.
24, Telephone, Τηλέφωνο.
25, Asthma, Ασθμα.
26, Synagogue, Συναγωγή.
27, Diaspora, Διασπορά.
28, School, Σχολείο.
29, Muse, Μούσα.
30, Monastery, Μοναστήρι.
31, Olympian, Ολύμπιος.
32, Hypocrite, Υποκριτής.
33, Genocide, Γενοκτονία.
34, Cinema, Κινημα.
35, autopsy and biopsy
36, Exodus, ἔξοδος
37, Bishop, ἐπίσκοπος
38, Socratic, Σωκρατικὸς
39, Odyssey, Ὀδύσσεια
40, Practice, πρᾶξις
41, Idiotic, Ιδιωτικός
42, Pentecost, Πεντηκοστή
43, Apostrophe, ἀποστροφή
44, catastrophe, καταστροφή
45, democracy, δημοκρατία
46, ‘Αρχή, beginning, Τέλος, end
47, ‘Αποκάλυψις, Apocalypse
48, ‘Απόκρυφα, Apocrypha
49, Ἠλεκτρον (Elektron), electric
50, Metamorphosis, Μεταμόρφωσις
51, Bimah, βῆμα
52, ἰχθύς (ichthýs) and ψάρι (psari), fish.
53, Τὰ Βιβλία (Ta Biblia), The Bible
54, Φῐλοξενῐ́ᾱ (Philoxenia), true hospitality
55, εκκλησία (ekklesia), the Church
56, ναός (naos) and ἱερός (ieros), a church
57, Χριστούγεννα (Christougenna), Christmas
58, ἐπιφάνεια (epipháneia), θεοφάνεια, (theopháneia), Epiphany and Theophany
59, Ζέφυρος (Zéphuros), the West Wind
60, Αύριο (Avrio), Tomorrow.
61, καλημέρα (κaliméra), ‘Good Morning’, and καλαμάρι, κalamári, ‘squid’.
Series to be continued
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